Bodyguard boyfriend
by Ice Buddles
Summary: Thiefshipping AU! Marik's been crushing on the star of domino high's basketball team, Bakura, for 2 years now. Will he finally work up enough courage to admit his feelings?
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Yay, my first thiefshipping fic (at least on here) just a random AU for no reason, god how I need sleep.. So anyway, here's another new story~ Woot woot, excitement :p I swear I don't write enough sometimes.. Well, here is chapter 1!**

**And remember I do not own yugioh ^_^ Enjoy~**

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Marik scribbled down into his notebook nervously, no longer paying any actual attention to what he was doing. His foot tapped quietly below him, rhythmically beating against the tiled floor. He sat behind his wooden desk, bouncing slightly in place, jittery in the almost full classroom. Marik looked up at the dark- rimmed clock on the wall, 7:56. Only 4 more minutes until the school bell rang and class would begin. Already students were forcing their way into the small doorway, crowding around their desks in an attempt to be seated before the teacher arrived.

"Only 4 more minutes.." Marik repeated in his head, glancing at the desk situated in front of him. It was still empty.

"Touzouku.." he whispered under his breath, remembering the name of the student usually seated before him. "Bakura, Touzouku.." He felt himself blush a bit, at how easy he had remembered the boy's name, but had actually never talked to him much.

They had both been at this high school for at least 2 years now, and had several classes together throughout that time, even now. Yet, Marik was always too nervous or shy to try and strike up a conversation with the other. Even now, he would still be easily tongue- tied whenever Bakura decided to try and talk with him. Sadly, no matter how much Marik truly wanted to talk with the other, all he ever seemed to be able to say was maybe an awkward yes or no, maybe a laugh, or if he was lucky, an actual sentence.

Some people were lucky with being able to talk openly with people, and easily express themselves. Even with those that they liked more than, 'just a friend'. But not for Marik, he was the complete opposite. For about half the time that Bakura and him shared together, Marik had secretly began crushing on the other teen. This was no light or shallow crush either, Marik had fallen for Bakura, and fallen hard. But he had to wonder,

How can you fall for a person, that you might as well have, never really talked to?

Marik didn't know, but it had evidently happened over time, and now he almost never seemed to be able to get the other out of his head.

The young egyptian glanced back to the glossy clock, still ticking against the wall, 7:58. Any minute now, Bakura was bound to walk in the door, take his seat, and begin his usual, school ritual of day dreaming during class. Unless of course, he decided not to show.

Maybe he ditched? It was totally possible.

Bakura had a bad habit of playing hooky every now and then, and taking the day off to go wander around town with his so called 'friends'. He seemed to have a lot of those actually, but nothing like real friends. Not like the ones who actually cared about his well being. No, not even close to sincere. They were just a bunch of freeloaders, only interested in him because of his reputation, or title. After all, Bakura was captain of the school's basketball team two years running, and the best eye candy around.

For most, he was just a ticket to popularity. Said teen only seemed to have a handful of real friends, the ones that were with him before he blew up into the school's idol. Marik only wished that he could be a part of that close group of friends with Bakura, or at least talk to the other boy without making a total fool of himself. He sighed.

Like that was possible. After years of practically giving Bakura the cold shoulder, the other teen probably thought Marik actually hated him by now, and their chances of ever being friends were zero to none.

Marik looked down at his notebook, twisting his pen into the scribbled page with frustration. He really had no one to blame for his inability to talk to Bakura correctly. So there was not much of a point in being mad about it, if that anger was just going to be directed back at himself. The school bell suddenly went off, successfully pulling him from his own thoughts. It chimed out in three equal trills, indicating that school had finally begun.

Marik focused back to the empty seat in front of him. No Bakura. He sank back into his seat, feeling more upset than anxious now. Casting his cold glare to the doorway, he caught sight of the teacher walking in. Marik ignored the agitation growing in the back of his mind, as the man closed the door behind him and took a seat at his oversized desk.

Satoshi- sensei, their schools most stringent of teachers. Once he was in the classroom, if you were late, not only was it an automatic detention and extra work, but your grade was also lowered. Not to mention that he was a complete, self entitled, ass whole who taught one of the toughest subjects in their grade, Advanced english, 3rd year- 11. Now that might sound easy for some, but for someone Japanese, taking an advanced english class wasn't exactly a free ride to getting amazing grades. Then again, the same could be said for anyone whose first language isn't english. Marik was no different.

After all he was a foreigner to begin with. Being originally egyptian, English and Japanese weren't exactly his first languages. So having a total hard- ass for a teacher didn't make his learning much easier in either subject.

"Take your seats and be quiet." Satoshi sensei bluntly commanded, with no emotion behind his monotone voice, just volume. "I'm taking role, so be in your seats, or be marked down for the day, your choice." He took a loud sip from his morning coffee, while looking over a clip- boarded list of student names. In a matter of seconds he began reading off names methodically, almost like a robot. Marik bit his lip slightly, glancing around the room. Mostly everyone was present, except for Bakura.

"Great," Marik thought, "If Bakuras not here, sensei will ask me that damned question again!" He shifted awkwardly in his seat, his nerves a bit on edge. He was right. His teacher had a habit of thinking that Bakura was actually friends with Marik, probably because of how close together they sat, was Marik's guess as to why he would assume such a thing. For this very reason, whenever Bakura decided to not show, Satoshi seemed to get a kick out of asking Marik if he knew where his, so called 'buddy' was. He did it so often that Marik was beginning to think the old man was doing it just to watch him squirm, which was, a ridiculous notion but, Marik insisted on it anyway. After all, Satoshi was as mean as they come, so why wouldn't he take joy in embarrassing his students?

Marik's friends, whom he complained to, thought this wasn't a big deal and that the teacher wasn't out to get him or anything, that it was all just in his head, but the young egyptian still had an issue with it all. Whenever he was asked this, the other students tended to flash him strange looks. Whether it was because they believed the old fossil's 'joke' or because they knew someone like Bakura wouldn't be caught dead hanging around with an ordinary student like Marik, he didn't know why, but either way, it was still extremely embarrassing to be pointed out that way.

Minutes passed as Satoshi- sensei continued to read out names, drawling them out in an all too leisurely and familiar fashion. Marik tapped his foot wildly, continuing with his nervous idiosyncrasies. This entire situation was beginning to get a bit too tedious for his own good. As he awaited the inevitable embarrassment from his teacher, just when his heart seemed unable to pound any louder, there came a sudden, sharp slam from the locked classroom door. The door's frame and window rattled from the impact of being crashed into, and the screened blinds over the rectangular window of the door bent, some even cracked from the strength of whatever had just tried to ram it's way in. It nearly made Marik yell from his seat, he glared over at the, now silent door, his lavender eyes like daggers.

'What the hell was that?!' He thought, upset that he was so easily frightened by the noise. His teacher, along with the rest of the class, seemed fairly disturbed by the noise, and he briskly rose from his seat, to stomp over to the door.

"I swear.. whoever that was, when I get my hands on you.." He muttered under his breath, finally reaching the door, and without any caution or hesitation, recklessly swung it open. There, sprawled out on his back from running into the door, layed Bakura, smack dab in the empty hallway.

"T-Touzouku!" Satoshi- sensei stammered, shocked by such a display of utter recklessness and idiocy. "What do you think you're doing? On your feet, now!" He commanded, his voice finally getting more feeling to it, out of pure rage. Marik felt himself perk up suddenly, from the realization that Bakura actually had shown up.

Bakura rose quickly, easily collected himself and stood tall, as if he hadn't just been the one who ran into a door and got knocked flat on his ass.

"Well, a good morning to you as well sir." He laughed sarcastically, smiling wide. Evidently more amused by his teacher's anger. He maneuvered past the large man in the doorway, and sauntered into the class, but was almost just as easily yanked back out to the hall.

"Oh no, no no NO! This is completely unacceptable Touzouku! Who the hell taught you to go running into doors like that, huh? Not only did you disrespect my class time by interrupting it, but you also interrupted their time!" he pointed madly at the bewildered students, who were intently watching the little 'show' now going on towards the class entrance. "What were you even trying to do? There's such a thing as knocking too you know." Satoshi- sensei seemed to be less upset as he turned to the door, examining it wildly. Bakura walked passed him once again, quickly walking over to the teacher's desk and picked up the clip- boarded attendance list. Scanning over it for not much longer than a few seconds, he marked something down, fixing his attendance no doubt, set it back onto the desk, and turned to take his own seat, all without Satoshi's notice.

Marik tried not to stare as Bakura sat down in front of him, leaning back into his chair nonchalantly. Once their teacher finally seemed satisfied with his 'little' inspection of the door he returned to harassing the young teen.

"And why are you sitting down?" The man hissed, gritting his teeth. Bakura blinked at him plainly, not fazed by his teacher's now evident rage.

"This is my seat, is it not? So why shouldn't I sit?" He tilted his head in mock curiosity, still wearing his roguish smile. Satoshi glared at him for a fleeting moment, before taking a step back, now wearing his own devious smirk.

"oh, so you feel like you're entitled to this seat, do you? Well then, perhaps we should take it away eh? Knock our little star down a few pegs?" He stepped back, "Up, Now." He commanded, taking a strong grip of Bakura's desk.

Bakura rose quietly and, maneuvering past his teacher once more, moved away to squat next to Marik's desk. The young egyptian blushed, trying his best to suppress a nervous squeak. He apparently failed, as Bakura glanced up at him, flashing him one of those classic smirks, that were practically a trademark of his. Marik felt himself turn a deeper red, and struggled to answer back with a smile, that he hoped didn't look too forced or ridiculous. Sadly, he had no real time to gauge Bakura's reaction to his smile, as their attention was quickly pulled back by their teacher. Marik jolted back into his seat, shocked, as Satoshi- sensei suddenly grabbed Bakura's desk, and hauled it up onto his shoulders. His students gawked at the anomaly, it wasn't exactly everyday that you get to see your home room teacher lift a desk up onto their shoulders like it weighed nothing. Satoshi turned, and easily carried the desk back towards his own, carelessly dropping it, he turned back to Bakura.

"There, now why don't we have a nice, comfortable seat. On the ground." He chuckled under his breath, motioning for Bakura to sit where his desk once was. The young teen did a double take before shrugging, and rising back from his squatting position.

"Fine, fine. Have it your way, but you do realize my learning will be compromised, yes?" Bakura added simply with another grin, easily plopping down onto the linoleum floor, which was surprisingly comfortable. Satoshi walked back to his desk, still snickering to himself.

"Well, is that my problem? No, it isn't, but i guess you should have thought about that before smarting off to me. If you think you're so special that you can just run into my door and interrupt class, then why don't I make things more comfortable for my special student eh? So tell me, how do you like the new seat?" He took a seat at his own desk, leaning back into his chair smugly. Bakura positioned himself criss- cross legged on the floor, and leaned back against the desk behind him- forgetting that Marik was still occupying it- and grinned up at his teacher..

"Oh, just fine. I feel oh-so special." He laughed sarcastically, now slipping his book bag underneath him, to serve as a type of cushion to the ground. Satoshi scoffed at him, turning his attention back to work.

"Fine, fine. Now that everyone is finally here, we can actually get on with the lessons." He pulled out a book, and flipped through to a page, skimming it.

"Alright, pull out your english books and turn to page 72." He turned to the board and began writing as the students rummaged through their bags for a book. By the time Marik had opened his book to the correct page, Satoshi had finished up with the board.

"P-partnering?" Marik stuttered nervously, reading the instructions on the front board. The man nodded, setting his book down onto his desk.

"Yes class, for the next 2 weeks you and a partner of your choosing, will have to do a report on someone that has greatly contributed to the english language. At the end of the project, you'll hand in a single essay representing the both of you, which will decide your final grade in this class for the semester. So, I suggest you pick a reliable partner, who actually knows their english history. Now, you'll have the rest of the period to find a partner, and agree on your project's model. I'd hurry." He sat back at his desk, taking out a book of his own to read for the duration of the class.

Marik looked down at his desk. He hated partnering up with people. He tended to be really shy around most of his classmates, whom he didn't know all too well, and to make matters worse, he didn't have a single friend in this class.

"just perfect.." he muttered to himself sarcastically, folding his arms across his desk to bury his face into.

Marik felt a sudden light tapping against his shin, successfully jolting him out of his slump. He straightened up instantly, staring down in front of him. Bakura sat, squatting at the front of his desk, blinking up at him. Marik felt himself blush, as he stared into the russet eyes blow him, eyeing him back quizzically.

"Marik, wanna' partner up?" Marik stared at him for a moment, stunned by the utter simplicity of such a question.

'wanna' partner up?' partner up?!' Jesus christ, Marik barely talked to the boy in a span of 2 years, and now he suddenly wanted to be partners on such an important project? Well, Marik certainly needed to count his blessings. Whatever the hell was running through Bakura's head that day,, he sure didn't mind it.

Marik nodded shyly in response, trying his best to offer up a smile.

"Uh, y-yeah.. ok, we can be part..ners." Bakura cocked an eyebrow slightly, a confused by Marik's stutters. But he quickly seemed to shake it off, and his puzzled look was replaced by another smirk.

"Great, I was hoping i'd get to work with someone smart, like you. Lucky me." He propped his elbows up on the front of Marik's desk, almost oblivious to the color flushing into Marik's cheeks. "I hope you don't mind, but having no desk is a real pain in the ass, literally." Marik blinked down at him once more.

'Smart? Bakura thinks i'm.. sm-smart?' He tried to suppress the uncontrollable glee he suddenly felt. ' And now he considers himself lucky to be my partner?! I thought.. I thought he hated me!' Marik felt a wide grin spread over his face, albeit he didn't mean to show it.

"No, I don't mind.." He pulled out a notebook, 'i don't mind this at all!' he thought to himself, as he and Bakura began planning out the project. But Marik didn't seem to care how difficult the assignment was anymore, or how much it would affect their grade. As long as Bakura was his partner, Marik felt that he couldn't go wrong.

'I'm really gonna' have to go scream about this later..' he laughed to himself, still elated and smiling.

-END part 1-

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**A/N: So that was fun to do at 3:00 in the morning, sorry if it's not my best work or characters seem a bit ooc, i'm just tired ⊙u⊙ oh sleepless nights, how I hate you so.. Anyway I'll keep this story goin' best I can, and hopefully you enjoyed it, if you did then please review, i'd really appreciate your input! ^-^ Thank you, and peace out~**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: So I'm writing again at like 4:00 in the morning (heavy insomniac).. anyway here's a new chapter, yay! Took me long enough, well enjoy~**

Marik stood above his desk nervously, glancing down at a half crumpled piece of paper. He looked back over his shoulder, flashing Yugi an unsure look.

Yugi nodded, sitting on Marik's bed patiently, pestering him to take the paper he had discarded just 2 days earlier.

Marik finally shook his head, turning back to face Yugi.

"I can't do it! I just.. I just won't call him.." Marik felt himself blush, taking the unimpressed expression his friend now wore into account.

"Marik." Yugi began slowly, leaning closer with his arms now crossed. "I know that you want to call him, otherwise you wouldn't still have his number lingering around here." He rose from the bed suddenly, briskly walking to the desk and swiping up the paper for himself. He unwrinkled it, glancing over the number.

"Just call him." He handed the paper to Marik, "You can do it. You shouldn't worry so much, after all, Bakura left you his number for a reason." Yugi smiled faintly as Marik took a shaky hold of the wrinkled paper.

He swallowed, staring down at the numbers scrawled across the page. Yugi was right though, in both cases. Bakura had left him his number for a reason and Marik desperately wanted to call him, even if just for the sake of hearing his voice, but he could never bring himself to actually do it.

That had been about the time he called Yugi over in a tizzy, unsure of why he had even kept the number for 2 whole days without the intention to actually use it. He now regretted this decision entirely, seeing how Yugi only urged him to call his love interest more.

Marik paused for a moment before shaking his head.

"No.. nevermind Yugi. I just can't call him, this was just a waste of your time.. sorry, but I won't do it.." He handed the paper back to his friend before collapsing onto his bed tiredly, sprawling out on his stomach.

"Just throw it away or something. I sure as hell won't ever use it anyway.." Marik buried his face into a pillow, groaning loudly. He sank further into the mattress as he felt Yugi suddenly jump up, dashing over to the desk. Marik listened, as Yugi rummaged around in one of the drawers.

"What exactly are you looking for?" he asked lazily, finally forcing himself to sit up. His eyes nearly popped out of his head when he saw Yugi leaning against the desk, with an old cell phone Marik had thrown away a while back held to his ear.

"What.. what are you doing? I swear, Yugi that better not be-

"Bakura?" Yugi smiled roguishly, both finishing Marik's sentence and answering back to the other end of the phone. Marik felt his jaw drop in astonishment.

"H-hang up! Hang up the damned thing!" Marik hissed, reaching for the phone. Yugi quickly pushed his hand away, jumping off the desk and maneuvering back to the bed. Marik turned, lunging at him with full force.

"Hang up!" He cried, tackling Yugi onto the bed. His friend only offered up a half hearted giggle as he pushed Marik's face away, continuing to listen to the phone.

"Y-yeah! This is Marik.." Yugi lied easily, trying to keep the phone out of Marik's reach by jabbing his knees into the other's ribcage, keeping him at bay. Marik could only really reach yugi's jaw like that, which wasn't much help in such a situation.

"Y-yeah, I was just wondering if we could maybe work on that project? You could come over right now." Yugi continued to talk into the phone, posing as Marik with little to no remorse. He paused, shoving Marik away while listening for a response from the other line. He tried his best not to make too much sound as he wrestled with Marik for the phone, god only knew what they sounded like on the other end of the phone. Finally he answered back,

"Yeah that could work, oh! and s-sorry for any trouble this causes.." after another pause, Yugi hung up the phone, letting Marik swipe it back, but it was obviously too late.

"Well, Bakura's gonna' show up in about 10 minutes or so, to work on that project thing." Yugi said easily, struggling to get Marik off of him.

"Y-Yugi! Why would you do that?!" Marik whined indignantly, his face flushing.

"Bakura and I aren't exactly friends, you can't just invite him over here! H-he's gonna' think i'm weird or something!" He let off of Yugi, giving the smaller boy a chance to actually get up. Yugi smiled unabashedly, taking the phone back from Marik.

"Calm down, calm down! Marik, you obviously wanted to call him I just, uh.. gave you a small push in the right direction. Besides, you guys have a project to do and it's not like you're total strangers, he's not gonna' think you're weird for this." He tossed the phone aside, glancing around the room. "But i'd recommend you clean, don't want him thinking you're lazy or something.." Marik glared at his friend, who seemed to be doing nothing helpful at this point.

"I wouldn't have to clean if you hadn't gotten me into this! And what am I supposed to do when he shows up? I have no idea what we're going to talk about!" Marik sat back on his bed, deeply regretting his decision to ever invite Yugi over.

Yugi shrugged and put a hand on Marik's shoulder, trying to offer some comfort.

"Marik.. it's gonna' be fine. After all, he's coming for that project, just try and stick to that." Marik rubbed his temples tiredly, fed up with everything at this point. He even regretted exchanging information with Bakura. They had done it the day after being assigned to the english project together. Bakura had proposed the idea, in case they had trouble finishing the project at school.

Marik had been overjoyed to get Bakura's number and address but now he just wished he really had thrown it away before Yugi got his hands on it. He knew his friend only had his best interest in mind and didn't mean any harm by it, but calling Bakura was the last thing on his own mind at the time and he sure as hell wasn't going to invite him over. Although it seemed like there was no stopping it now.

"Alright.. but you're helping me clean and if anything goes wrong, i'm going to personally blame you." Yugi nodded happily, suddenly filled with a new energy.

"Of course! But don't worry, seriously it'll be fine, it'll be fine!." He pulled Marik off the bed and over towards the bedroom door. "Let's get to cleaning before he shows up."

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Marik glanced at the kitchen clock, it was 7:40 now and Yugi had called Bakura around 7:20. Already he was late, but Marik could have cared less. The longer it took for him to arrive, the more time Yugi and himself had to clean. Besides, he wasn't exactly hoping Bakura would show up, he wouldn't even mind if Bakura bailed all together. It would save him any future embarrassment that the night had in store for him, that was for sure.

Yugi had just about finished up piling all the laundry into the utility room, which was adjacent to the garage, when the doorbell finally rang. Marik felt himself stiffen up at the realization that Bakura really had shown up after all. He kept trying to delude himself that it was Isis or Rishid coming home, but he knew they both worked late and that he wouldn't be seeing them for some hours.

Yugi came running into the kitchen, with Marik still frozen over the sink where he had been doing the dishes.

"What are you doing? Go answer it!" He yelled excitedly, pushing Marik over to the front door. Marik reluctantly allowed himself to be forced along, not wanting to speed up the process of getting to the door. Yugi gave a quick shove, finally getting Marik to the door.

"Just let him in!" He gave a thumbs up before quickly dashing away and back up the stairsl.

Marik took a deep breath, trying to calm his nerves.

"It's ok.. everything's going to work out. Yeah, this is just for that damned project.. just a project, I can do this.." He finally reached for the handle when he felt that he was sufficiently secure. It wasn't like this was an impossible task or anything. He just had to work on a project for a bit, it was sooner or later that they would have to do this anyway, so why not get it out of the way early?

He opened the door, trying to look more relaxed than he felt.

Bakura waited out on the porch, laggardly leaning against the side of the door. He glanced at Marik with slightly tired eyes, though they still seemed piercing. Marik glanced at a large bag he had strung over his shoulder, and recognized it as a gym bag. It certainly coincided with his current outfit anyway.

Bakura had on a large bulky jacket over a plain tank top. Followed by a loose fitting pair of grey gym shorts. He even had on a pair of worn running shoes.

Marik glanced over him quickly, trying to wrap his head around all the athletic attire. He looked ready for a workout, not for a project. Why was he dressed for exercise at a time like this?

Bakura gave Marik a sudden look, cocking an eyebrow. Questioning why he was getting sized up upon arrival no doubt.

"Aren't you going to invite me in?" He asked with a smirk, taking in the dumbfounded look on Marik's face. Marik opened his mouth, unsure of how exactly to answer back.

"Oh yeah, sorry.. come in." He said stiffly, glancing around nervously for Yugi.

'Where the hell is that little sneak?' He thought, closing the door after Bakura. 'This was his idea in the first place!' The last thing he wanted at this point was to be alone with the other boy. He finally decided to turn his attention back to Bakura for the time being.

"Just drop that bag... anywhere I guess.. and if you don't mind my asking, what's it for?" Marik felt it was easier to just ask questions than create an awkward silence between them. "And why are you dressed like that?" Bakura slid his bag off his shoulder, carelessly tossing it against a small side table.

"Eh, it just has extra clothes and stuff.. for basketball." he eyed marik quizzically, taking off his jacket. "I was leaving practice when I got that call, so I just headed over here." Marik looked over him again, no wonder he looked so tired. He hadn't even been home when Yugi called him.

Marik was beginning to feel even more unsure about inviting Bakura over, even though it was Yugi's call that started everything. He felt bad knowing that it was his fault Bakura had to show up here when he was already exhausted. Inconsiderately calling him at a time like this and inviting him over to work was definitely no way to get on his good side.

Bakura quickly cut through his thoughts,

"Why the sudden interest in my business?" he asked, wearing another smirk. Marik felt his jaw drop a little, as he wore a nervous smile of his own.

"Ah n-no, I.. I didn't mean to pry or anything like that, I was just.." He heard Bakura let out a small chuckle as he tossed his jacket down over his bag.

"no, no, I was joking. You can ask what you want, we're partners now. Might as well get to know each other for the next two weeks." He flashed Marik another smile, though this one was different from the previous ones. "So what're we doing for that project anyway?" Marik blinked at him, stunned by the question.

The project! Marik had been so busy trying to make the house look presentable for Bakura, that Yugi and him had completely forgotten about what they were going to do. Bakura didn't look at all prepared for any school work, considering how all he had was a gym bag. Marik hadn't made any plans for actual school work either. Then again, how hard could it be?

Sudden steps came pounding from the top of the stairs. Marik turned, shocked to see Yugi dashing over to him. He was struggling to slip on his shoe when he finally passed Marik. He flashed Bakura a quick smile before heading to the door.

"I think i'd better head home Marik, I wouldn't want to be late!" Bakura stared at him in wonder as Yugi gave Marik a quick wink before making his way out the door. Bakura turned back to marik now that they were alone.

"Who was that?" he asked, still wearing a puzzled expression. Marik cursed Yugi for the sudden reappearance and then disappearance, he was still too nervous to want to be completely alone with Bakura.

"Uh, just a friend of mine.." He tried to smile but he was beginning to feel tongue tied again and could easily feel himself failing.

'This is gonna' be a long night..' Marik thought dreadfully, leading Bakura up the stairs and back towards his room, with still no clue about what they were even going to work on.

-END-

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**A/N: I seriously don't update anything fast enough -_- Anyway, hope you like and if you did then please review and i'll try to get around to another chapter soon! ^-^ Hopefully with some input from you guys!**

**-Ice-**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Holy hell yes, i'm finally getting around to updating this story, yaaaay~ **

**My apologies for such lateness ^u^"**

* * *

Marik shifted uncomfortably against his bedroom floor, slowly stirring out of sleep. Glancing at the clock displayed above his desk, he quickly realized how late it really was.

"eleven forty? but.. today's thursday.. I should be at school!" He sat up excitedly, looking around him in a state of confusion.

Why had he woken up so late? looking down in front of him, through blurred vision, he soon found an answer.

"what is this damned thing?" He hissed exhaustively, picking up a tattered notebook. It was left open to a page covered in scribbles and practically illegible writings. Taking a closer look at it, Marik finally realized what it said.

Among disorganized and seemingly random doodles lied 3 names and a note.

"William Shakespeare, Geoffrey Chaucer, Samuel Johnson..

Marik- apparently we fell asleep after a time, without getting any actual work done. I woke up around 5, so i just thought i'd let you sleep awhile and slipped out. sorry for overstaying any welcome, see you- Bakura"

Marik narrowed his eyes, glancing back to the clock in full- blown frustration.

"Damned jerk, why didn't you wake me up! Now i'm late and everything.." he rubbed his head irritably, wondering why he felt so sluggish. Just how late had the two of them actually stayed up? All they had to show for the night were 3 names and a bunch of cryptic crap.

Marik rubbed his eyes and rose to his feet, trying to ignore the exhaustion eating away at him. He sighed, collapsing onto his bed. Blinking down at the notebook, that he had abandoned on the floor, he felt a quick flash of worry. If, after spending over 5 hours together, all they could come up with was three names.. then they were never going to get anywhere near completing the project before the dead line.

Marik buried his face into his pillow and as quickly as the worry had came, it left. Leaving him with that sluggish tiredness once more.

The clock's numbers seemed to burn in the back of his mind. '11:40..11:40..11..' He was already over 2 hours late for class, that is, if he even chose to show up. Figuring by now that it was a useless effort, he just decided he wouldn't make the effort to go.

The only thing on his mind at the time, was getting some sleep.

* * *

Isis stood by the kitchen phone, drumming her nails over the counter tops in a cadenced beat.

"Marik... Marik!" She called out to her younger sibling, the tone in her voice upset, as she was growing impatient. Already she had called for her brother countless times and each time she had been blatantly ignored. This seemed like the final straw.

Marching upstairs, she began calling his name once more, in a much sharper and dangerous tone. Hopefully this would wake the exhausted teen.

* * *

Marik stirred in his bed as he was quietly roused from sleep. Staring at his closed bedroom door, he listened intently to the footsteps drawing closer. Realizing he was in some form of trouble, he sat up, trying to seem more alert than he felt.

"Marik!" Isis yelled from the opposite side of his door, sounding slightly muffled from the distance. His eyes widened, slightly disturbed by her rage. It would take a lot to force his usually well mannered and level headed sister to hound someone like this. Marik couldn't help but wonder what it was.

Isis finally reached his door, swinging it open recklessly. Marik jumped at the loud slam it caused against the wall. He stared at her for a second, hesitant on whether or not he should speak. She beat him to it.

"Marik! How are you still sleeping? I've been calling you this entire time, you know that?" She walked over to his window briskly, yanking open his curtains in an attempt to lighten up the bedroom.

Marik winced at the light, trying to hide himself within his blankets.

"Why were you calling me exactly?" He mumbled, digging his face into a lump of pillows. "I'm too tired to do anything.." Isis tugged at his blankets, trying to get him up.

"There's a phone call waiting for you downstairs. Of course, you'd know that if you hadn't slept all day... Why so tired anyway?" Marik yanked his blankets back and wrapped them around himself in a fashion similar to that of a cocoon.

"I don't remember what time I slept.. I had that project remember?" He rolled around lazily, still sore about the fact that Bakura had left without a word to anyone. "Now who's calling me that's so important?" He collapsed onto his back, staring up at her with blatant disinterest for the current situation.

"You tell me if your friend is important or not, but it was Yugi who was asking for you." Isis was making her way out the door when Marik suddenly sat up, startling her with his sudden burst of energy.

"Yugi?! W-what'd he want?" Marik wrestled out of his blankets as he struggled to get to his feet. Isis blinked at him, surprised by his change in attitude. She shrugged, continuing out the door in a far more lenient manner than before.

"I don't really know, all he said was that it was supposedly important." he followed behind eagerly as she led him back downstairs. She motioned over to the kitchen, cocking her eyebrow slightly

"He's still waiting, i'd hurry." She flashed him a quick smile before he pushed through the door and wandered into the kitchen. The phone sat alone on the kitchen counter as if it were patiently waiting just for him. He picked it up hesitantly, hoping that Yugi wouldn't be too upset about waiting long.

"Yugi?" The other line of the phone remained silent for a moment, though light breathing could be heard.

"Marik? Aha! So you're finally up huh?" Yugi suddenly laughed from the other end, seemingly unaffected by having to wait.

"Y-yeah.. I slept late I guess. Sorry for the wait, but what was so important?" There came a slight pause from Yugi's end, before he let out a sigh.

"Well.. I just wanted to apologize for what I did last night.. I was rude.." Marik forced himself to laugh lightly, trying to act normal. "I am really sorry, I just hope things worked out well for you last night." Marik felt his eyes narrow into slits as he glared down at the kitchen counter, clawing his free hand over the tiled tops,

'You'd better be sorry. Bakura never would've come over last night, I never would've made a fool of myself, and I never would've woken up so damned late if you hadn't done that!' He gritted his teeth in frustration, still putting on a cheerful facade despite his harsh thoughts.

"No it's ok, you shouldn't apologize. You were just trying to help right? No real harm done.." Marik wanted to bite his tongue. These were nothing but pure lies he was telling at this point. Even if Yugi had wanted to help he could've done so in a different way and not one that involved pulling Bakura along like last night. Despite Yugi's apologies, Marik was in no mood to truly forgive or listen to him at the moment.

"Is that all?" he asked, trying supremely to sound like he wasn't completely pissed off at the moment. He could hear Yugi stutter something, before pausing. He seemed to be stalling on something. "If that's all, then I-

"Ah, w-wait! There is more actually.." Yugi trailed off again, his slow pace was beginning to frustrate Marik more. "There's something important I need to talk to you about, but in person." Marik sighed, he was in no mood to go meet up with anyone, Yugi especially.

"Sorry, but I have to run some errands for Isis.." He glanced around him, making sure his sister was still elsewhere in the house. If she caught him lying about something that concerned her, she wouldn't back him up just to teach him a lesson of sorts.

The other end of the phone was silent for a minute, before a new voice suddenly blasted back over the speaker,

"Marik! Been a while, huh?" Marik stiffened up, almost instantly recognizing the voice on the other end.

"Y-yeah, it.. sure has, Jounouchi." He tried to sound less upset than he felt. It really _had _been some time since they last spoke to one another and for no real reason either. Yugi had originally introduced them, but Marik never really found himself getting along well with him, nor did he take much of a liking to Jounouchi's rather fervent personality. So, after a while they just stopped speaking and Marik never felt any real remorse about the subject, so he left it as it was.

"So, i'm hearing you've got some stuff to do later, real important, right?" Jounouchi asked, almost with a hinting tone in his voice. Marik let out a slight chuckle, acting as if he wasn't lying through his teeth.

"Yes, for my sister actually, so I don't think i'll be able to meet with either of you later. It's a shame." Marik turned back to hop onto the counter, figuring he might as well get comfortable if these two were going to try and sway his decision.

"Heh, it really is. After all, this was important." Marik cocked an eyebrow, sincerely interested for the moment.

"If it's that urgent, why not simply tell me right now?" He drummed his nails over the counter tops once again, enjoying the sound. Jounouchi laughed from the other end.

"That's true, I _could_ tell you, but this topic is something I think you'd rather discuss in person. Since we think it would be significant to you." Marik stopped tapping away at the counter, narrowing his eyes at the floor.

'What could you two possibly know that's significant to me..' He pondered the question, his interest genuinely peaked at this point.

"And, what would you know that I am apparently oblivious of?" The words came out sounding more bitter than he had hoped, but he was beginning to no longer care.

"Well, it's more of what I know. Yugi thinks I should tell you about it in case things go wrong.." Jounouchi's voice quietly died off, giving way to a struggling muffle of noises. Marik figured they were wrestling for the phone or something, although his mind was beginning to turn elsewhere at this point.

'Go wrong..' Jounouchi's words echoed throughout his head, giving way to more unsettling thoughts.

'If things go wrong.. go wrong with what exactly? That could mean anything and everything. All things have the capability to turn bad at some point. So what did the other two know that Marik didn't? Just what did they think would go wrong? Whatever it was, Marik hoped it wasn't in any way dangerous.

"So, do you still want to run those errands?" Jounouchi finally managed to ask, his voice noticeably more serious than before their conversation. Marik paused for a moment, thoughts still running through his head.

'Whatever they're worried about, they could just be overreacting.. or being too careful. Then again, it doesn't seem like they have any ill intent with this. Things could still end badly though..

"..Tell me one thing first, what is this all about exactly?" Marik figured if he was going to let himself be pulled along with these two, he would at least find out what the reason was. Jounouchi stayed silent for a moment, as if contemplating whether he should give the answer away or not. He finally gave in.

"Fine, it's about that new friend of yours.. Bakura." Marik felt his body stiffen in surprise, his jaw dropping slightly. How the hell did Jounouchi know anything more about Bakura than the obvious? Or more precisely, _what_ did he know? Marik took a moment composing himself and masking the shock, pushing away his skeptical thoughts.

"Tell me where to meet you." A slight chuckle came from the other end, Jounouchi was seemingly pleased with Marik's new answer.

"Now that's what I like to hear!"

* * *

Marik sat comfortably against a park bench, iced coffee held in one hand with a cell phone occupying the other. Sitting there, waiting, time had passed to around 3 in the afternoon. He couldn't clearly remember what time he had talked to the others, but he knew a significant amount of time had passed since the call. After all, he had left his house at around 2:30 or so, and it didn't take too long reaching the park.

Marik was getting more than impatient. This was Yugi's plan after all,

"Meet us at the city park closest to your place." was what they had said and yet they were no where in sight. Marik watched plainly as people strolled by cheerfully, enjoying their time here, whilst he did not. He sipped at his coffee gingerly, giving into the false hope that it would supply him with the energy he clearly didn't possess.

The cellphone remained still in his palm, giving no indications that Yugi planned on calling him, to explain why he was late, anytime soon.

Marik leaned back into the bench, letting his head dangle over the supporting back. He found this strained position rather relaxing as he scanned the sky, squinting from the sun.

'Why did I even show up here?' He asked himself exhaustively, even though he already knew the answer full well. This involved Bakura. There was something about him that Jounouchi and Yugi didn't trust, that didn't sit right with them.. something they perceived as dangerous.

Marik couldn't help but feel nosy agreeing to do this. Bakura wasn't even his friend, so why should he go prying into the guy's private affairs? Even if it was potentially dangerous, did he really have any right to know? Probably not, but he was already here, already waiting, and already bracing himself for the worst of information.

"Oi, You awake?" Marik jumped. He stared, wide eyed, into a pair of wide eyes hovering above him.

"Jounouchi.." He whispered breathlessly, fairly startled by the sudden appearance. It had been a long time since he'd actually seen or spoken to Jounouchi and admittedly, he wasn't used to it.

Marik pushed his previous thoughts away, suppressing his growing curiosity momentarily to focus on the task at hand.

"Did you wait so long that you fell asleep?" Jounouchi smiled pleasantly, climbing over the back of the bench to sit next to Marik. He had a small plastic bag dangling over his wrist. "We stopped by the store on the way, my stomach got the better of me I guess." He rummaged through the bag, looking slightly embarrassed, and pulled out a pack of what seemed like cookies.

"Want any?" He asked simply, with Yugi walking up behind them. Marik shook his head in disapproval.

"No thanks, I have no real appetite right now.." he tasted his coffee slowly, feeling uncomfortable. Yugi crossed over to occupy the remaining seat of the bench, carrying a light soda with him.

"Were sorry about the wait, he insisted on stopping for snacks." He smiled sheepishly, regretting Jounouchi's decision to stop. Marik shook it off, attempting to put on the best nice act that he could muster. It was proving to be difficult. Reluctantly scooting over, he offered Yugi more bench room out of courtesy.

"It's all fine, really. As long as you made it." He raised the cup of coffee before Jounouchi, shaking it around a bit for emphasis. "I made a stop as well, so let's call it even." Yugi nodded, smiling compliantly.

"Even. Anyway, Jounouchi?" Yugi nudged his friend lightly, trying to draw his attention back from his snacks. Jounouchi looked fairly startled as he blinked at Yugi, quickly realizing why he had been jabbed in the ribs.

"Oh yeah, I almost forgot." Marik chewed his cheek irritably, upset by the lack of room he now had thanks to them.

"Well.. you probably won't like everything I have to say, but.. Bakura.. isn't exactly a good guy." He turned to Marik and paused, trying to gauge any reaction he might have so far. He offered none.

Marik was already prepared to leave by the time they had bothered to show, so he was going to need more clarity before he even began to show interest again or form an opinion. Although admittedly, the forwardness to Jounouchi's words was a bit startling. He really wasted o time getting to business.

"What do you mean by that?" He said simply, taking another swig of his coffee. Jounouchi blinked at him, addled by the lack of reaction.

"It's just.. Bakura has more of a reputation than you know. A bad one, Marik, he isn't just some basketball star." Marik smirked, not believing what was coming out of this guy's mouth.

"So he leads a double life then? Isn't that something." he chuckled to himself sarcastically, giving Jounouchi a humorous look. He sat up suddenly, upset by Marik's disrespectful display.

"This isn't a joke. Listen, i'll get to the point, but you've gotta take this seriously, Bakura's a dangerous guy!" Marik tightened his grip of the coffee

"and how the hell would you know what he's like?" Marik suddenly snapped, regretting sounding so defensive. He was, in all honesty, acting hypocritical. He himself knew nothing about Bakura, so who was he to get upset for Jounouchi acting like he did? That's exactly what Marik was doing now, claiming to know a stranger.

Jounouchi stared at him, fazed by the hostility in Marik's voice.

"Because, I used to be like that you idiot! I know the kind of guys he hangs out with and the things he does. He's a damned trouble maker and bad news to get involved with." He suddenly set his bag aside, rising to his feet to tower over Marik.

Marik glared up at him, clearly upset by the accusations against Bakura. Whether he himself was actually Bakura's friend or not, didn't change the fact that he didn't want to her someone bad mouthing him.

"Listen, if your just gonna talk shit then-

"This isn't just gossip, Marik. It's the truth." Marik stood up, glancing at the time on his phone. He had already waited for these two for half an hour, he was beyond done with this situation. He would've walked off too, if not for Jounouchi. He stepped before Marik, blocking his way and stopping him in his tracks.

"Marik, please, you need to listen. We're not close friends.. and I get that, but I wouldn't tell you this, I wouldn't tell you anything, if it wasn't the truth. Especially if it was about someone you cared for." Marik stared at him, oddly fazed due to the realization of the truth his word's held. Jounouchi wasn't the type to lie for no reason. And what would he have to gain from lying about Bakura? Nothing, at least not to Marik's knowledge.

Jounouchi took a step back, motioning for Marik to sit.

"Just hear me out." Marik hesitated before reclaiming his spot on the bench.

"Better talk fast and make sense." Jounouchi nodded, taking a breath.

"Ok, Marik, now Bakura does seem just like some high school athlete, but there's more to him than that. He's got quite the bad rep." Marik did his best to refrain from smiling. This all sounded ridiculous to him, Jounouchi made it sound like Bakura led a double life, which seemed more than unlikely.

"Before he even started at this school, Bakura fell in with a bad crowd, kind of like.. how I used to be, remember?" Marik nodded slowly, remembering how he had heard stories about Jounouchi when he first transferred. Ones that labeled him a trouble making derelict who lived for fighting.

"So you're saying he's a delinquent?" Jounochi nodded, glad Marik was catching on.

"Yeah, and a bad one. Hes done worse things than me, even got jailed a few times. Drugs, violence, robbery and probably worse. You name it, I bet he's done it." Marik looked at him oddly, letting the words sink in. It was difficult to wrap his around this. Imagine, the school's basketball star is actually one of the worst guys around.

"How do you know all of this?" Jounouchi sighed,

"Because I used to be like that Marik, I know certain things.. He's dangerous and that's why you needed to hear this, especially after Yugi told me how you felt.." Marik suddenly sat up, shooting Yugi a threatening look.

"So you told him?" Yugi lowered his soda from his lips, nodding slowly.

"Well, yeah. He asked me how involved you were with Bakura, so.. I just felt it would be better if he knew." Marik glared back and forth between the two as he rose to his feet. Obviously upset, he turned to go. Jounouchi suddenly reached forward, pulling at Marik's arm as he was about to leave.

"Bakura may be keeping up this school boy charade, but that's all it is, just a lie. He's sent guys to the hospital before! Marik, that could be you in a couple of days if you get too involved with this guy!" Marik tore his arm away, stepping away from the bench.

"Ok, i'm done. If you two want to sit around spouting nonsense, then be my guest. But I won't listen to you talking shit about Bakura. Whether or not you like him isn't my problem. He's my partner for the next week or so and you'll just have to deal with it!" Marik proceeded to stomp off, not giving them another glance.

"Marik, you said you'd listen!" Jounouchi called back irritably.

"Yeah, I agreed to listen, not to believe the shit you're talking!" Marik waved them away, not giving it another thought. He now had a bitter feeling left on his tongue. Never before would he have thought this meeting could bring on such a feeling of dread. The same questions circled repetitively through his mind,

Was any of that true? If so, was Marik really getting himself into something he shouldn't meddle with?

He had no clue at this point, no, all he had was a raw feeling of determination. Determination to prove the other two wrong. All they had said only proved to interest Marik more. What would it be like if this were true? How about if it were all lies? Whatever the reality of it was, Marik needed to get to the bottom of it. He felt that Bakura at least deserved to be defended.

* * *

**A/N: Well that's that for now. I actually decided to pull Jounouchi into all of this, so including him will be fun for later.. as for Bakura and his dark reputation, i'll just have to keep writing won't I? and at 2 in the morning no less -w-' Anyway, hope this is getting more interesting for you ppl, and if so please review, your input will help me get this story going c: again, sorry for such a late update.**

**-Ice-**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Aw yea updates always make meh happy.. anyway let's get right to it I guess, but please mind this one may be a bit shorter than the others ^w^'**

* * *

Marik bumbled exhaustively through the school halls, practically dragging his feet. He hadn't felt this tired in a while. But, considering everything that had happened yesterday, he began to understand why he felt so drained.

He had spent most of his night worrying whether Jounouchi's words held any truth. He still found it hard to believe that Bakura was such a nasty guy. Having attended so many classes with him Marik would've thought he'd be able to tell if he were someone so dangerous. But, apparently, he didn't.

Now he found himself facing the option to either believe his warning, or disobey it. Yet he couldn't decide. He had liked Bakura for too long, and although Jounouchi and Yugi had good intentions, Marik couldn't just drop him without any proof of this. He felt that he needed to know, but he had no idea how he was supposed to get that sort of proof.

"Whatever.. I should just focus on our project or.." Marik looked up, eyes widening. All at once his thoughts seemed to melt away as his mind filled with a new object. Bakura was heading his way.

Of course, they did have the same home room and this was just a coincidence, but still, it easily got Marik's heart racing.

Bakura strode through the hall, a distracted look inhabiting his eyes. Marik tried to avert his wandering gaze as the space between the two rapidly became minimal. This proved to be rather difficult, as there seemed to be something amiss with Bakura.

A somewhat sloppy appearance plagued the other, his demeanor unusually slow and stiff. He seemed to be brooding over something as his expression seemed colder than usual. It seemed more than odd.

He made his way towards their class, stopping in the doorway before turning back. Marik stiffened up, their eyes finally meeting. Bakura paused for a second, seemingly distracted by his own thoughts.

Marik apprehensively raised an arm, giving him a slight wave in the hopes of earning a greeting from the other. It proved effective after all.

Bakura blinked plainly for a second, before suddenly breaking into a smirk, now aware of Marik's stalled approaching. As if to address the other he opened his mouth, but quickly shut it again, feeling a hard hand land against his own back. He grimaced, as if already aware of who was lurking behind him.

Marik watched in puzzlement, his steps coming to an abrupt stop. A man of ominous stature loomed over the other teen, a sly smile evident on his lips. Slowly turning, Bakura didn't seem at all surprised to find such a large man awaiting him.

"Oujou.. What're you doing here?" Reluctantly, Marik moved closer, hoping for some explanation to the man's sudden appearance.

This supposed, 'Oujou', as Bakura had tilted him, seemed suddenly more.. aggressive. His once broad smile now drooped into an equally evident scowl.

"You don't address me that way, Bakura, i'm your superior. It'd be in your best interest not to forget that, got it?" He leaned down as if to emphasize his point. Bakura sighed, nodding indignantly,

"..yeah.. now just answer me, will you? What do you think you're doing here?" Biting back the temptation to smack the child upside the head for his impudence, Oujou simply withdrew a squared package from his jacket. He forced it into Bakura's hands, much to the other's disapproval.

It was no larger than the width of a simple textbook, though it felt lighter than just a measly packet of paper. Eyeing it curiously Bakura stared back up to Oujou.

"What the hell is this?" The man grinned, entertained by his apparent naivety towards the package.

"Consider it a present from Takeda." Bakura's eyes widened at this, as if alarmed by the mere name.

"Takeda? Why would he.." His words died off, catching notice of Oujou's occupied glare. Bakura realized it was directed towards something behind him, and turning, he quickly found his eye's target.

Marik stood quietly behind, few feet away from the two. He stiffened up at their lingering stares, suddenly uncomfortable. The man made no effort to suppress his glare. It was more than threatening.

"He a friend of yours or something?" Oujou inquired tiredly, casting his glare down to Bakura. Pausing for a moment, the boy nodded, taking a step back towards Marik, as if in representation of his answer.

"He is." Sliding the package into his book bag, Bakura turned his attention back to Oujou, who still gave Marik a questionable look. "..I assume that's all?" Oujou gave him a stalled smirk, pivoting on his heel and back towards where he had come.

"We'll see." He called back simply, finally leaving the boys in silence.

* * *

Marik sat restlessly in class, his feet tapping away in frustration. He stared off into space, allowing his mind to wander, now unable to suppress his curiosity.

"That..'Oujou'.. who the hell is he?" Marik had to wonder, increasingly more interested than to be expected. After all, this _was_ none of his business, but.. Bakura had lied, and that had gotten Marik more curious than ever.

"He's just an old friend of mine." Bakura had told him, disregarding the package completely and moving on as if a large man hadn't just come trampling into their school leaving a shady package with a student.

Plus, the man had titled himself as Bakura's.. 'superior', whatever that meant. How was a bulky man like that in anyway related to Bakura? And then there was still that package..

But the one thing that got Marik thinking the most, was.. Takeda..

Just who was he? What was he giving to Bakura as a 'present' and why? It didn't at all seem like it should be something labeled as normal.

Marik sighed, leaning back into his seat. He was clueless about everything. But what did he expect? Of course Bakura had lied to him, after all, they weren't that close. Well, Bakura _did_ seem to consider Marik a friend.. but certainly not one close enough to be truthful with.

But that was also expected. Over the span of 3 years they had only _really_ spoken maybe a handful of times. Marik was still puzzled that Bakura even considered him a friend.

Clenching his fists, Marik bounced in excitement. Never would he have thought Bakura actually viewed him as a friend! and yet.. he apparently does.. Truthfully, he was elated over this, though he didn't quite comprehend the reasoning behind it. He blushed, letting his mind wander over stupid and unrealistic scenarios.

Whatever the hell made Bakura think of Marik as a friend, he was thankful for it. It didn't seem to matter much to him that Bakura never might return his feelings, but at least he held him in high enough regards to title him a friend.

Such a conflicted feeling of elation and confusion plagued the boy, though he much more preferred to suppress the more negative side to things, taking the time to focus on the good. He felt that he could still at least do that for now.

* * *

Marik wandered out of the class, his mind still obviously occupied with things other than his surroundings. Blindly passing a familiar face, he only managed a few steps before someone tugged him back. Seemingly yanked out of his thoughts and forced back into reality

Marik blinked down to the smaller boy presented before him, finally recognizing the face.

"Yugi? What're you doing?" He inquired, about the sudden pulling no doubt. Yugi tensed up, releasing his arm as if unaware of his recent action.

"Sorry, I just needed to talk to you, but you seemed out of it." Marik shook his head, not wanting to elaborate on his recent thoughts.

"It's fine, but what'd you want?" Yugi gave him a doubtful look, apprehensively turning. Motioning for him to follow, Yugi headed off towards an exit.

"Well, we just need to talk to you about something." Marik quieted, following along hesitantly.

'We?' he wondered, allowing himself to be lead outside. 'Who's 'we?' Heading out into the school's courtyard, he suddenly realized who they were most likely going to meet. Walking across the lawn, Marik quickly found that his hunch had been right.

Once again he found himself being pulled into a confrontation with Jounouchi, much to his disliking. Yet it seemed it couldn't be helped at the moment.

Jounouchi rose from his seat on a bench, seemingly pleased that Marik had shown up.

Marik gave him a distasteful glance, his honest displeasure to this encounter prominent.

"Ok, what do you two need this time?" asking in a monotone voice, Marik no longer felt any need to force politeness with Jounouchi. After his hypocritical words the day before, he only wondered what this boy had to say now.

"Marik..I just.. I just need to apologize for yesterday. I overstepped my boundaries and got way outta line, with.. well, everything." Staring, Marik was admittedly fazed. An apology was certainly the last thing he expected from Jounouchi.

"I had jumped to conclusions too quickly. I was just trying to help, but.." His words drifted off and he fell silent, noticing a slight nodding from the other.

"It's fine, really.. I know you both had good intentions for warning me, but that won't change anything." Jounouchi stared at him, his expression marked with obvious understanding. He knew there was no swaying Marik's opinion on this, whether he had proof of his words or not. Marik wouldn't waver, he was too stubborn to even consider it.

"Heh, I know that I can't change anything at this point, but you got me thinking.." He gave Yugi a considering glance, puzzling the young boy.

"Friends, Marik, they're wonderful things, aren't they?" Marik nodded, unsure of where the conversation was heading. "That's just it though.. Remember how I was.. How I used to be? Well, Bakura's just like that, except for one.. one thing." Turning to Yugi again, he smiled, as if to check he was still there. "Friends. That's it, friends. That's the difference between Bakura and I." Marik stared at him skeptically.

"Jounouchi, Bakura's practically 'Mr. popular'. 'm sure he has more than enough friends." Jounouchi shook his head plainly.

"Not really. They're not so genuine, i think you can even tell that much, right?" Marik furrowed his brows, addled by the other's words, which truthfully, he _did_ agree with. The so called 'friends' of Bakura's didn't really seem sincere. But then again, it wasn't his business.

"What're you getting at?" Jounouchi directed his eyes back to Marik.

"Bakura, i used to be like him, but look at me now. I quit that life years ago, with the help of Yugi and everyone. I tried and redeemed myself as best I could. I luckily got out of all that before it was too late. Now after yesterday you made me realize that there's nothing I can do to change your views on him, but maybe that isn't such a bad thing." This only proved to further confuse Marik, which was now evident from his expression.

"The thing is, I think you're just what Bakura needs. That may sound a little weird, but I know your feelings for him are more than sincere, which is just the thing. A real friend, one that can actually help him and that actually wants to. That's what got me back onto the right track, and maybe it could do the same for him. You could help him make a real turn around if you're willing to go the extra mile-

A sudden ringing chimed out across the empty courtyard and the boy's stiffened in response.

"Ah! We're late for class!" Yugi suddenly interjected, pulling Marik back. "We gotta get to class." Marik allowed himself to be led back, still registering Jounouchi's words.

Was he just saying all those things? Yesterday he was against anything having to do with Bakura, but now? He thought it might be a good idea.. and that boggled Marik's mind.

How Jounouchi's views could change so drastically like that, but then again, he was once in Bakura's shoes and can relate to him on some levels. If he _really_ only wanted to help, then Marik could only imagine how bad that kind of life really was for the two..

* * *

**A/N: Yes! I finally updated this bby ^w^ It feels like it's been forever, but I'm prob just exaggerating.. Anyway I hope you liked this and plz review~**

**-Ice**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Holy god I've finally updated this! TvT I think i've already said this, but I like to update around the weekends when I have time, but lately I i've missed my chances and now this just feels late, but at least it's done! Anyway, I hope you enjoy this belated update~**

* * *

Bakura's feet pounded against the track, his throat dry from the late afternoon air.

"You've got 2 seconds left!" Jinsei called after his speeding figure, his hand clutching a stop watch. "Make the goal, Bakura!" He cheered, doing his best to urge the other further against the field. But it was useless. Bakura had already blocked him out, focusing on the time. Focusing on the running, focusing on the record.  
He gritted his teeth, his speed unrelenting as he aimed at the goal line. The time limit rung in his mind,

"2 seconds.. Just 2 seconds to make the goal line and beat his record.." Grinning through the heat, he pushed on. 2 seconds was all he needed. At least, that's what he thought.

"Bakura!" His concentration shattered all at once from the sudden familiar voice, and he slowed to a clumsy stop, whirling around. Jinsei yelled in shock of the sudden halt, frantically waving the stop- watch around.

"Sempai, your time! Your time-" The timer beeped, cutting off the boy's warning and signifying that it was too late. Bakura simply caught his breath, flashing Jinsei an understanding look.

"I know, I know it's my fault.. We can start again." The petite boy's smile returned and he nodded profusely, his attention suddenly shifting to the approaching figure.  
Marik headed over to the two, looking irritated.

"Bakura, how long does some running take? I already told you we've got that project to finish." He inquired impatiently, finally reaching the exhausted boys. Marik had waited long enough for Bakura's so called 'training' and was beginning to get fed up with the lengthy wait.  
Jinsei hopped down from his spot on the bleachers, placing himself in the other's way as if to keep him from Bakura.

"Sempai, what about your record? You've got to stay for this today, remember you have a game coming up." He chastised, suddenly taking on an oddly serious tone with Bakura. If this kid really was his kouhai, he shouldn't be acting so entitled to Bakura's time. At least Marik thought so.

Bakura seemed to pay no mind to the behavior as he nodded, an odd, almost embarrassed smile gracing his lips.

"I know, and i'm sorry. It's my bad for screwing up plans, but I have to finish a project with this guy. We can just cut this short for today, it'll be our secret, right?" He nudged the boy in his side, raising an eyebrow. Obviously flustering him.

"J-just who is this?" Bakura paused momentarily, his eyes widening with sudden realization to the question.

"Ah! Marik, I forgot.." He suddenly turned, scrambling for his sports bag. Hoisting it up over his shoulder, he turned to the addled boy, still clutching the stop watch.  
Marik pouted, crossing his arms in disappointment.

"How did you just forget? I told you that we needed to work on our project yesterday." Bakura nodded, though he kept his back turned to the impatient Egyptian.

"I know that!" He waved Marik away irritably, pulling Jinsei to the side. " Now, Jinsei, I've got to leave early today, its for a project, ok?" The boy gave him a meek look of apprehension.

"You know, coach isn't going to like this. You've already missed out on recent practice and you need extra training because of that! Plus, I'll be the one he blames if you ditch again today!" He whined pleadingly, dangling the stop watch in Bakura's face. "You need to practice." Marik stared at the younger boy, his sincerity somewhat disturbing. It seemed odd.

Marik never would've guessed Bakura was ditching his practice too. Class was one thing, but basketball? He was the star player wasn't he? It only seemed natural that he should be present during team gatherings.. Still, it made him feel kind of guilty about pulling Bakura away from his training.

"I get that, but this is important too. Just cover for me one last time, ok? I'll make this up to you I swear!" He backed away, suddenly turning to give Marik a quick push. He stumbled clumsily, as Bakura broke off into a run, quickly passing him up.

"H-hey!" Marik gasped, catching his footing and following after the other's fleeing figure, leaving a fazed Jinsei behind in the dust.

* * *

Marik walked stiffly along the side walk with Bakura chattering away about some dead cat in the road. Yet his words only fell on deaf ears, as Marik had blocked him out moments ago. Involuntarily of course, but his mind had just drifted elsewhere.

'Maybe Bakura just needs a real friend..' Jounouchi's words still sat in the back of his mind, as if unwilling to be forgotten. Of course, Marik didn't mind following those words, but.. how hard it could be, he didn't know. He had already begun hanging out with him more for the last couple days, and it did seem to be working. He was even surprised at how easily Bakura seemed to be warming up to him. But still, Marik was dissatisfied with the state of their relationship.

"Marik!" Snapped out of his thoughts, he was startled back into reality. Bakura eyed him irritably, aware that he had been ignored.  
"The hell is wrong with you?" Marik blinked, realizing Bakura had probably been trying to get his attention for a while now.

"Ah, I-I just blanked out is all.." Still skeptical about his answer, he jabbed the boy lightly in his ribs, much to the other's displeasure.

"So you pulled me outta training just to ignore me? How cruel." Bakura teased him, Marik's face coloring a slight red.

"I didn't know you actually needed any extra training. I wouldn't have done something so rude to you and that Jinsei kid. Speaking of which, who _was_ he? I noticed he referred to you as his sempai." Bakura nodded, looking to Marik knowingly.

"Kinda nosy, aren't you?" He snickered jokingly, treasuring the priceless look of consternation on the other's face.

"N-no! I was just wondering. He seemed to care about that training stuff a lot.. is he on your team or something?"

"Nah, though he wants to be. His older brother's actually our captain, so he wants to grow up to be just like that. Jinsei's been assisting the team for over a year now and he says he wants to try out once he gets better, hence why he's so mad about the training." Marik nodded in obvious understanding, glad to have a slightly better understanding as to who Jinsei was. And admittedly it was a relief.

Knowing that he wasn't anything more than a possible long time friend of Bakura's was nice. Marik felt stupid about drawing conclusions like that, but he couldn't help himself. It was only natural to get jealous over those you had feelings for. Especially if the one you were envious of was running around calling him sempai and spending all hours of the day 'training'.

"Hey, I gotta ask, he said your coach wouldn't like you ditching, right? So why'd you do it? We could've rescheduled this or something." His expression turned, changing into one more confused. "I just didn't think you missed your practice as much as your classes." Bakura stared at him with unusually abyssal eyes.

"Yeah, it probably seems odd, huh? Some things just have to come first I guess.. Not even basketball can be an exception, no matter how important it is to me.." He smiled faintly as if to reassure himself of his word's truth. Marik noticed his pace slow to a far more steadier speed, undoubtedly becoming lost in his thoughts.  
It was odd to Marik, but he reluctantly remained silent, despite his urge to speak.

What was more important than Basketball to Bakura? Well family would be understandable.. and maybe some friends to..  
He pouted, finding keeping silent to be a surprising challenge. It seemed that every time he actually got to talking with Bakura only more questions were raised. It was becoming aggravating to him, since it served as a constant reminder that he really only knew the basics about the guy.

"Bakura, what- The other's head suddenly shot back up from it's position of staring at the ground. Snapping out of his thoughts, Bakura sped up again and as if his recent period of silence never happened, he smiled.

Marik blinked, startled by the abrupt amount of energy displayed. It was as if he didn't want Marik to ask anything more. But that was an absurd notion, wasn't it?

"I almost forgot!" Bakura spun around, walking backwards in an attempt to face Marik. "You ever play basketball?"Simply put, his question addled Marik. Hadn't this guy just zoned out a few seconds ago? and he seemed to be ruminating about things. Why was he changing the subject so easily?

Marik shook his head as a final response. Maybe he was over thinking things again.

"Not really, I never gave it much thought." Bakura's grin deepened, giving Marik a sudden feeling of apprehension.

"Then let's give it a try. See if you're any good." Marik suppressed his urge to laugh, settling for a slightly more vivacious smile than he would have preferred. What was this guy going on about? They were supposed to be heading back to Marik's place in an attempt to finish their practically untouched project due in less than a week.  
And now Bakura wants to stop and play basketball? He really was unpredictable.

"How do you expect us to play? We haven't got a ball and we have no courts or nets! What gave you such a random idea anyway?" Bakura pivoted back on his heel, veering away from the sidewalk. Marik slowed to a confused stop, his eyes widening in belated realization.

They were right by an old park, weren't they?

He gritted his teeth, watching Bakura scrambling away towards an extensive chain- link fence. Turning back, the other boy grinned roguishly and Marik cringed, already dreadfully aware of his idea.

"There's our court!" He exulted triumphantly, pleased to have stomped on Marik's previous notions about their inability to play. He pointed, just beyond the fence sat an empty basketball court, clear as day. It irked Marik that Bakura had payed enough attention to see that abandoned court.  
He was in no mood to try any competative sports, especially against the best athlete he knew.

"Damn this guy." He grumbled to himself, reluctantly heading to the excited boy. "Bakura, I think you're forgetting the most important thing, a ball." Bakura clucked his tongue at him, as if he were scolding an unpleasant child.

"Assumptions are dangerous, Marik. Take a look." He patted his sports bag, leaning against the fence in satisfaction. Marik grimaced as the other unzipped it, pulling out a worn basketball.

"Ta-da!" He chimed, more than pleased by the look of Marik's face.

"You've gotta be kidding, you carry that?" He groaned, finally reaching the rusted fence. Bakura nodded quickly, abruptly tossing his belongings over.

"What're you doing!" Marik gawked as the other clung to the fence and began to scale it. "Are you crazy? This fence is way too high!" He was right, but Bakura payed him no mind. It had to be well over 12 feet, but why?

How many parks have fences like this? It was almost monolithic, as if it was built to keep you out. Suddenly, it clicked in his head and he remembered this place. This park had been closed off years ago and abandoned. It was shut down back when Marik was still a child, only a couple days after an incident happened and parents stopped bringing their kids here altogether.

A little boys body had been found bludgeoned to death and abandoned one day. Needless to say that the place was deemed unfit for children after the culprit was never caught. Back then the neighborhood had been shaken pretty badly, Marik could still remember when Isis had stopped taking him there, never offering any explanation for her reasoning behind it.

Only years later had he actually learned of what happened that day, and even then, he hadn't given it much thought. The city had blocked it off, ditching the lot all together once the public wanted nothing more to do with the area. Now, almost a decade later Marik was actually able to see this place again and truthfully, he didn't feel too pleased about it.

A little kid had been murdered here after all, and once Marik had actually been old enough to realize that, he had just forgot about it. It just seemed rude to him. Bakura's plan to trespass on said ground was't helping either.

"You coming?" Bakura laughed, looking back down to Marik almost condescendingly.

"What? No! Will you get down from there, this place is closed for a reason." The other boy scoffed at this, finally reaching the top of the fence.

"Suit yourself then." He swung over the top, sliding down with ease. Reaching the ground unscathed, he wore a proud grin. Marik crossed his arms, seeing how they were now on opposite sides.

"What're you doing? We've got that project remember? Climb back over!" He huffed impatiently as Bakura collected his things, chucking to himself.

"You're more than welcome to go, but i'm not leaving before I get to play." He backed up, bouncing the ball off the fence. "Have fun with that project." He waved, turning to go to the empty courts. Marik glared at his retreating figure from across the fence.

It was obvious he was trying to get a rise out of him, but Marik couldn't help it at this point. No matter how much he hated falling perfectly into people's plans, they needed to get this project done. It seemed as though he was gonna have to hop this fence after all.

"Hold on." He said through gritted teeth, hooking his fingers into the fence. This was the last thing he felt he should be doing, but they had a project.. and admittedly, he didn't want to be seen as kind of wimp. At least not in Bakura's eyes. So he'd just have to go along with things for now.

Bakura turned back, more than pleased to see Marik clambering up the fence.  
"Nice to see your sudden change of heart." He laughed, just as Marik struggled to the top of the fence, perching himself uncomfortably on the metal rail.

"Keep laughing, just wait until someone catches us and we get a damn fine or something." He swung over the fence, finding the descend to be a much easier endeavor. Bakura snickered lightly, raising an eyebrow.

"Caught? Who's to say we're going to get caught? Besides, even if we do, then we run. Is it that hard of a concept to grasp?" Marik bit back his desire to just haul ass back over over the fence and leave, as he had a handful of reservations about this, but as he finally touched back down on solid ground, he realized that he no longer wanted to. Much.

The look of excitement in Bakura's eyes was too genuine at the time to pass up.

"Don't expect me to be able to just climb back over this fence if need be. Let's just hurry and get your game over with." Collecting himself, Marik started in the direction of the abandoned court. With Bakura leading quickly, almost like an exuberant child.

"It's just an old park, nobody's gonna be out here! Relax a little." Marik sighed as they reached their goal, the court, more ominous than he first anticipated. Looking around, he realized this place was far more eerie up close. The desolation and general age to the park's equipment made him even more on edge.

It seemed that it had been a while since anyone actually set foot here. Now whether that observation was due to the cracked concrete, faded back boards, or the loosely hanging rims of the court where he now stood, Marik wasn't sure. He just knew that this place wasn't somewhere people should be.

It was like an old ghost town.

And the fact that a child had once been killed here wasn't helping with the situation. But Marik had to wonder, did Bakura know about that too? Whether he didn't know or just didn't really care, it was evident that Bakura wasn't leaving anytime soon.

And if that was the case, then neither was Marik.

* * *

**A/N: Well I hope this was somewhat interesting and blah, hopefully the next update won't be so late ^-^'**

**Please Review, it's motivating!**

**-Ice**


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